Only hours remain until football fans watch the much-awaited Ballon d’Or ceremony, kicking off tonight at 8 p.m. Moroccan time.
France Football magazine organizes the prestigious award ceremony alongside UEFA, with this year marking the 70th edition of the awards.
The ceremony will take place outside Paris for the first time; this year’s event is taking place in London, with the participation of several Moroccan nominees.
Morocco’s star Achraf Hakimi is among the 30 players nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or following his performances with PSG.
He competes for the Ballon d’Or alongside several other international stars, including Lamine Yamal, who has a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother. The youngster has made headlines with his continued brilliance for FC Barcelona. But he now faces strong criticism following his subpar performance in Sunday’s La Liga El Clásico against Kylian Mbappe, who is also competing for the Ballon d’Or this year.
Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior are all setting their sights on football’s most coveted individual trophy this year.
PSG has a strong presence, with Hakimi joined on the list of nominees by teammates Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Nuno Mendes, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Of course, the legendary Lionel Messi is also on the list. He has won the award eight times, making him the most successful player in the award’s history.
Other competitors include Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Luis Diaz, Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel, Sadio Mane, Marquinhos, Lautaro Martinez, Joao Neves, Michael Olise, Willian Pacho, Julian Quinones, Declan Rice, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, William Saliba, Ferran Torres, and Dayot Upamecano.
Morocco’s presence at the Ballon d’Or ceremony also includes Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who plays for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. The superstar has been a hero for Morocco’s national team, especially in major competitions such as the World Cup. Bounou is also well respected in the Saudi league, with Al Hilal repeatedly celebrating him for his spectacular saves.
The list of goalkeepers competing for the Best Goalkeeper award includes Thibaut Courtois, Joan Garcia, Gregor Kobel, Emiliano Martinez, Edouard Mendy, David Raya, Matvey Safonov, and Unai Simon, among others.
Those seeking entertainment tonight and looking to see football players off the pitch in suits can watch the ceremony through DAZN.
International journalists cast their votes based on players’ performances throughout the season, with a panel consisting of one representative per country from the top 100 nations in the FIFA men’s world rankings and the top 50 in the women’s world rankings.
beIN Sports News and the official Ballon d’Or website will also air the ceremony.
